Tampa Bay, FL (AP) - The Falcons came to town to kick the season off with a bang. Little did they know that it would come in the form of 29 unanswered points by the Buccaneers in the final three quarters. In a nutshell this game came down to taking care of the football. The Bucs were +5 in the turnover category (7/2) which could have easily been +7 if it hadn't been for a couple of blown calls by the referees. The Bucs defense resumed where they left off a season ago recording 27 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and 5 interceptions as a team against the Falcons. Key additions of "BIG" Pat Williams at DT and rookie sensation Kierre Roberson at MLB in the offseason made an immediate impact as Williams recorded two tackles and two sacks (1 safety), and Roberson came up with an interception to finish out the game.

Not to be outshined, quarterback Josh Freeman and the Bucs offense played well as he was 9/20 passing for 133 yards, 2 TD's, and most importantly, zero interceptions! The ground game is finally working with the triple threat of Stewart, Thomas, and McGahee in the backfield. Freeman and the three muskateers accumulated 143 yards on the ground which was the most recorded by any Bucs team against an opponent in their short-lived history. It came with a price, however, as running back Jonathan Stewart will be sidelined the next two weeks due to a disloacated right ankle on his first and the team's first scoring play of the season. Thomas and McGahee will carry the load in his absence. Barring any unforseen recovery issues, the Bucs expect to see Stewart return where he left off in week four.